American Libraries articles from March 2010

American Libraries archives from March 2010

Is Technology Catching Up?
March 1, 2010... Even non-techies can offer cutting-edge services right away, says Ellyssa Kroski in her cover story for this month's issue of American Libraries (p. 30). Social media such as Facebook and Twitter make it easier for all of us to communicate and...

Front-Line Advocacy: Everyone Can Be an Advocate for Libraries
March 1, 2010... Advocacy on the Front-lines: How to Make a Difference from Where You Sit" was the title of an ALA Midwinter program in Boston that supported one of my presidential initiatives--front-line library advocacy. The program focused on this unique...

Key Issues in Tough Times: Executive Board Tackles Business during Midwinter Meeting
March 1, 2010... The Executive Board's three sessions during the Midwinter Meeting in Boston focused on issues ranging from helping libraries--and librarians--survive the economic crisis to improving the conference experience, including the conference event...

Correction.(Correction notice)
March 1, 2010... CORRECTION: "Newbery" was misspelled in "Neil Gaiman Named NLW Honorary Chair" (Jan./Feb. p. 13). AL apologizes for the error.

American Libraries Offers New Ways to Stay Informed
March 1, 2010... American Libraries, ALA's flagship magazine, is offering a new way of keeping on top of library-related news, views, and perspectives via its revamped website (www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org). The site offers many new benefits, including...

Calendar.(Brief article)(Calendar)
March 1, 2010... ALA EVENTS Mar. 7-13: Teen Tech Week, ala.org/yalsa. Mar. 23-27: National Conference, Public Library Association, Portland, Oregon, ala.org/pla. Apr. 11-17: National Library Week, ala.org/nlw. Apr. 30: El dia de los ninos/El dia de...

Key 2010 Election dates.(Brief article)
March 1, 2010... Ballot mailing begins - March 16 Polls close at 11:59 p.m. (Central Standard Time) - April 23 Certification of election results by Election Committee - April 30 Candidates notified and elections report distributed - April 30

IMAX Offers Library Patrons Seats to Hubble 3D Movie
March 1, 2010... Avid library patrons will be able to journey through distant galaxies and accompany space-walking astronauts as they attempt the most difficult tasks in history of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), thanks to a new...

Kirkus Reviews Not Dead Yet; Bought
March 1, 2010... In a move that surprised those who had already mourned the passing of Kirkus Reviews, the venerable source of prepublication reviews of new books has been bought by Herb Simon, owner of the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association....

Peace Prize Mural Unveiled in Florida.(Brief article)
March 1, 2010... Artist Huong stands in front of the Obama Peace Prize Mural unveiled in January at Broward County Library in Fort Lauderdale. Comprising 700 paintings by Huong and 10 guest artists in honor of President Barack Obama receiving the Nobel Peace...

Cornell Seeks Sustainable Support for Science, Math Research Archive
March 1, 2010... Cornell University Library has introduced a voluntary, collaborative business model to support arXiv, its free online repository of nearly 600,000 research articles in physics, mathematics, statistics, computer science, and related disciplines....

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King.(Brief article)
March 1, 2010... Political strategist Donna Brazile (second from left) joins Prudential Foundation (PF) President Gabriella Morris (far left), PF Program Officer Mary Puryear, and Newark (N. J.) Public Library Director Wilma Grey January 12. Brazile served as...

Apple's iPad Introduced, Greeted with Excitement, Derision
March 1, 2010... Apple's January 27 announcement of the iPad tablet computer drew ample attention from the technology world. As Martin Peers wrote in the Wall Street Journal December 30: "Last time there was this much excitement about a tablet, it had some...

Batting one thousand.(Perspectives)(library open seven days a week)(Brief article)
March 1, 2010... Minnesota Twins mascot T.C. Bear greets Hennepin County (Minn.) Library patrons February 8 during the "Ballpark Mondays" kickoff at the central branch to celebrate that the library is now open seven days a week. The Monday hours are being...

Global Reach
March 1, 2010... CANADA (1) To welcome visitors to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver February 12-28, the suburban Richmond (B.C.) Public Library rebranded itself as an International Living Room where sports fans could catch up on world events through...

Global Outreach Underway to Aid Haiti Libraries and Archives
March 1, 2010... Library organizations around the globe are working to respond to library needs in Haiti following the devastating 7.0 earthquake January 12 that all but toppled the country's capital city of Port-au-Prince and other population centers. During...

Newsmaker
March 1, 2010... Nobel Prize- and Oscar-winner and, in his own words, the man who "used to be the next president of the United States" Al Gore delivered the Arthur Curley Memorial Lecture January 16 at ALA's Midwinter Meeting in Boston. His message: The...

How the World Sees Us
March 1, 2010... "Some time after that first miserable try, I did what I should have done to begin with. I went to the library and pulled out a few articles...." Physician and journalist ATUL GAWANDE, in the opening of his recent book The Checklist Manifesto:...

The Case for Textbooks: Our Service Traditions Call for Us to Provide Them
March 1, 2010... At Miami University's regional campuses in Hamilton and Middletown, Ohio, we have also encountered "the textbook phenomenon" described by Bonnie Imler (AL, Nov. 2009, p. 35). However, our response to students' confusion about the roles of the...

Cataloging Horizons; Navigating the Bibliographic Space with Linked Data
March 1, 2010... Library catalogs have evolved over time as technology has changed. The last 150 years have seen a progression from book catalogs to cards and eventually to online catalogs. Each of these changes has provided new capabilities that can be adopted...

Whither Wikipedia? the Collaborative Encyclopedia Faces Growing Pains
March 1, 2010... You've got to feel a bit for Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales. Here's a guy with a fairly simple but incredibly powerful idea: Create a way for people to share what they know with the wider world and in the process build a resource that can be...

Your Virtual Brand: Online Presence for Professional Success
March 1, 2010... Irecently started teaching another great group of future librarians at San Jose State University about Web 2.0 technologies. I'm always in awe of their enthusiasm for the subject matter and for their chosen field. This year, I also feel a little...

10 Technology Ideas Your Library Can Implement Next Week: Even Non-Techies Can Offer Cutting-Edge Services Right Away
March 1, 2010... New social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter, enable librarians to converse, communicate, and collaborate with patrons as never before, because they are increasingly a part of people's everyday lives. A brochure that describes your...

Annual Conference & exhibition 2010.(Calendar)
March 1, 2010... OPENING GENERAL SESSION TONI MORRISON Saturday, June 26, 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. Toni Morrison is a Nobel Prize-winning American author, editor, and professor. Some of her acclaimed titles include: The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon, and Beloved,...

Library Advocacy Day.(ANNUAL CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION 2010)(Brief article)
March 1, 2010... National Library Advocacy Day 2010 VOTE For Libraries Tuesday, June 29, 11:00 a.m. Upper Senate Park For this year only. Library Advocacy Day will replace National Library Legislative Day (NLLD). On June 29, 2010, library advocates from...

ALA/ProQuest Scholarship Bash.(ANNUAL CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION 2010)(American Library Association)(Brief article)
March 1, 2010... Saturday, June 26, 7:00 - 11:00 p.m. BREAKING NEWS The ALA/ProQuest Scholarship Bash will make headlines in Washington DC at the new Newseum on Saturday, June 26th, 2010. The Newseum will offer attendees an experience that blends five...

Sixth Annual Book Cart Drill Team.(ANNUAL CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION 2010)(Brief article)
March 1, 2010... WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Sunday, June 27, 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. You don't have to perform to enjoy the fun as librarians from around the country strut their stuff in choreographed dance routines featuring boook carts! The teams design creative...

Libraries Build Communities.(ANNUAL CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION 2010)(Brief article)
March 1, 2010... Friday, June 25, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Register to participate in this day-long service effort to help local libraries and the community! All participants will be notified in advance of the various projects and be able to pick the one in...

Coaching in the Library A Professional Coach Can Help Leaders and Staff Up Their Game in Dealing with an Ever-Changing Environment and Shrinking Resources
March 1, 2010... The greatest challenge to library organizations is to continuously adapt in an ever-changing, ever-more-complex environment. Library leaders need to direct the continuous redevelopment of libraries. The ability to tackle this and other...

Celebrating Women's History Month @ Your Library: Telling the Story of Women's Work Is Never Done
March 1, 2010... Writing Women Back into History" is the theme for National Women's History Month, March 2010, the annual celebration of women in the United States. For years women's contributions were routinely underestimated or ignored even in the history of...

Partnership Possibilities
March 1, 2010... The websites of a number of organizations experienced in programming for and about women can inspire library offerings. Also consider groups that once focused on women but have since expanded their mission, such as Camp Fire USA. Founded in...

Industry Experts Gather to Talk Trends, Solutions: The Newbery and Caldecott and Other Youth Media Awards, AI Gore on the Environment, Job Seekers All Share the Stage at Midwinter Boston
March 1, 2010... There was perhaps no better way for tech-savvy librarians to kick off the American Library Association's Midwinter Meeting in Boston than to hear the top stakeholders from the biggest library tech vendors talk about their products and services...

Council Actions
March 1, 2010... Most of our libraries aren't in real good shape right now, and certainly we're not anticipating that it's going to change in the next year or two years," ALA Treasurer Rodney Hersberger told the Association's governing Council during the Mid -...

Sara Kelly Johns: Candidate for ALA President
March 1, 2010... The challenges facing libraries right now require innovative change. ALA must collectively harness the energy, enthusiasm, and experience of ALA's members to move ahead. As president, I will connect all members to meet the challenges of a...

Molly Raphael: Candidate for ALA President
March 1, 2010... Visit mollyraphael.org "Libraries: Essential for Learning, Essential for Life" Libraries are so essential to our learning and our lives that we cannot imagine a democratic society without them. My focus as your president will be to build...

Alan Kornblau: Candidate for ALA Treasurer
March 1, 2010... It is time for a change. Every three years, the American Library Association seeks candidates for the treasurer position from its membership. This is an election year and I am honored to be on the ballot. Your vote is important to me and ALA. ...

James Neal; Candidate for Ala Treasurer
March 1, 2010... I am standing for election as treasurer of the American Library Association, and ask for your support. I will bring my experience and expertise to this assignment during a period of remarkable opportunity but also fiscal challenge for ALA. As...

Currents
March 1, 2010... * District Director Dan Armstrong retired February 28 from Cook (III) Memorial Library. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * On December 31 Joanne Baier retired as Pierce...

Stirring Up Inspiration: Teach Teens to Set Up to the Plate-And the Stove
March 1, 2010... It's been one of those winters when I've wondered if one really feeds a cold (achoo!) and starves a fever, experimenting with soups that require no further icy treks to the grocery store (achoo!). Coincidentally I had already made arrangement...

Part of the Action: Managing for Change and Continuous Improvement
March 1, 2010... Bill Mayer imagines a library without librarians. The way he sees it, his campus is filled with activity, and he wants his librarians to be a part of the action. "Their role isn't to simply go out and generate more visibility," he explains, "but...

Librarian's library: Gilded Age.(Books)(Graphic Novels beyond the Basics: Insights and Issues for Librarians)(Book review)
March 1, 2010... The phase "Gilded Age" may conjure up visions of Newport mansions, but the era was a formative time for libraries. Librarianship in Gilded Age America: An Anthology of Writings, 1868-1901 compiles articles, letters, and other documents from...

Solutions and services.(New Products)(Demco Inc.'s Ideapaint)(Brief article)
March 1, 2010... www.demco.com Demco's Ideapaint turns paper, wood, and other materials into a dry-erase whiteboard in a single coat. The paint can be used to transform walls, columns, doors, lockers, desks, and other surfaces, and can also be used to revive...

Career exploration tool.(New Products)(Career Cruising )(Brief article)
March 1, 2010... www.careercruising.com Career Cruising is a career exploration tool that features detailed occupation profiles, a national database of higher education and financial aid options, and an interest assessment to help users identify careers that...

Spine label and label protector.(Brief article)
March 1, 2010... www.computype.com Computype has introduced an all-in-one spine label and label protector. The label features thermal-transfer label material that resists abrasion, fading, smudging, and tearing, and an integrated flexible lamination material...

Reference management system.(Brief article)
March 1, 2010... www.knowIedgetrackerlib.com The Knowledge Tracker reference management system from Compendium Library Services features a single interface that handles all reference communications, with the ability to speed response through the use of...

Payment solutions.(Comprise Technologies' SmartPay online )(Brief article)
March 1, 2010... www.comprisetechnologies.com Comprise Technologies offers payment solutions for libraries, including the SmartPay online interface for patron payments or donations; the Smart Money Manager point-of-sale application designed for library...

Reference tool.(LexisNexis Group's Statistical Insight )(Brief article)
March 1, 2010... academic.lexisnexis. com Statistical Insight from LexisNexis is a reference tool that provides access to millions of facts ranging from cancer rates to airline fatalities to voter turnout. Sources include the Gallup Poll, United Nations,...

Monitoring energy efficiency.(CASE STUDY)(Finksburg branch of Carroll County Public Library's green initiative)
March 1, 2010... The Finksburg branch of Carroll County (Md.) Public Library, which opened last year, is one of the county's first green buildings. To help educate staff and patrons about the building's energy efficiencies, carbon footprint, and green...

I Blog, Therefore I Matter: If You Want Your Writing to Count, Get Thee to a Website
March 1, 2010... I find it fascinating that so many people try to put a sad face on retirement. Just think of the common terms we use for retirement: "over the hill," "being sent to the glue factory," "hanging up the spikes," "riding into the sunset," "being put...

My mind's a blank.(Comic)(Cartoon)
March 1, 2010... "My mind's a blank. I think I have writer's blog" [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]